Twotter first impressions and observations..

[PPS 0]

First off, GREAT plane, Salute to your team!

I only have a few hours in it so far, so probably some of what I'm about to type is operator error, but it case it isnt, you did say in the manual to post all 'silly' questions :-)

1 I know you have said you aren't going to do a 2D cockpit, but I gotta tell you, I miss it. The 3D is great, but there are a few problems with it, from my perspective, and there are times I like to use 2D, especially for the sub panels.

The first is that there is no way to see the entire overhead panel, unless you look at it from a hard angle, then you have to cock your head to look at it sideways to try to see the switches. I tried it zoomed in, zoomed out, moving right to the center of the cockpit. My neck got really bent trying to see it.

Second, with the autopilot in its current location, on short final, you have to move your view, zoom in to see the buttons, disengage the AP, then return to forward view, not a good way to complete an approach, especially in bad weather. If you cant' do a 2D cockpit, is it possible to make a 2D AP panel, so it can be moved to a second monitor?

2 I have looked and looked and I cant see any marker beacon lights, although I can hear them, am I missing something?

3 No glide slope indicator?

4 The HSI link in the manual does not work for me, takes me to a dead link

5 Radios, I have tried everything I can, including actually following the instructions in the manual, and for the life of me I can not get the radios (nav and comm) to tune the standby freqs. I have to dial in the active freq side, switch that to the standby side, then dial in the second freq.

6 The manual states there are no water rudders on the float planes, but the next instructions tell you how to raise and lower them :-)

7 AF Panel, I dont know what that is, cause whatever it is, I cant get it to show.

8 Props.... if you look at them from the outside, they are not centered and wobble on the hubs

9 Engine start...from memory back when I used to fly these things, a LONG time ago. we always started #2 first, since we loaded from the port side and it allowed us to have one generator online on a short turnaround. I noticed #1 starts first in this one.

10 This may be just my system settings but when learning a 'new' plane. I have 'tool tips' on so I can see whats what. In this plane, when ever a tool tip pops up, it completly blanks out the cockpit below the 'tip'.

11 This one I havent quite had time to delve into completly, but in NAV mode, the first time I tried to track a VOR, it blew right past the course and didn't 'capture' it. However once I moved the OBS again, it then turned, captured, and tracked it. Heading mode works fine.

12 Rotating beacon, the light and the reflection are 180 out of sync, when the light is off, the red reflection shows on the tail.

Please understand I'm not trying to pick apart the plane, just posting what I have found so far, your milage may vary :-) FYI, as advertized, it DOES work perfectly in 'shared cockpit'!! Thank you, but my FO might not like it cause he's about to get real busy :-)

Thanks again for a great plane, it's brought a lot of memories. OHHhhh, btw, any chance of getting some US liveries?

[Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558]

First off, GREAT plane, Salute to your team!

I only have a few hours in it so far, so probably some of what I'm about to type is operator error, but it case it isnt, you did say in the manual to post all 'silly' questions :-)

1 I know you have said you aren't going to do a 2D cockpit, but I gotta tell you, I miss it. The 3D is great, but there are a few problems with it, from my perspective, and there are times I like to use 2D, especially for the sub panels.

The first is that there is no way to see the entire overhead panel, unless you look at it from a hard angle, then you have to cock your head to look at it sideways to try to see the switches. I tried it zoomed in, zoomed out, moving right to the center of the cockpit. My neck got really bent trying to see it.

Second, with the autopilot in its current location, on short final, you have to move your view, zoom in to see the buttons, disengage the AP, then return to forward view, not a good way to complete an approach, especially in bad weather. If you cant' do a 2D cockpit, is it possible to make a 2D AP panel, so it can be moved to a second monitor?

2 Mmmm... I have not seen them on the panels we studied. I'll check again

3 No glide slope indicator?

4 The HSI link in the manual does not work for me, takes me to a dead link

5 Radios, I have tried everything I can, including actually following the instructions in the manual, and for the life of me I can not get the radios (nav and comm) to tune the standby freqs. I have to dial in the active freq side, switch that to the standby side, then dial in the second freq.

6 The manual states there are no water rudders on the float planes, but the next instructions tell you how to raise and lower them :-)

7 AF Panel, I dont know what that is, cause whatever it is, I cant get it to show.

8 Props.... if you look at them from the outside, they are not centered and wobble on the hubs

9 Engine start...from memory back when I used to fly these things, a LONG time ago. we always started #2 first, since we loaded from the port side and it allowed us to have one generator online on a short turnaround. I noticed #1 starts first in this one.

10 This may be just my system settings but when learning a 'new' plane. I have 'tool tips' on so I can see whats what. In this plane, when ever a tool tip pops up, it completly blanks out the cockpit below the 'tip'.

11 This one I havent quite had time to delve into completly, but in NAV mode, the first time I tried to track a VOR, it blew right past the course and didn't 'capture' it. However once I moved the OBS again, it then turned, captured, and tracked it. Heading mode works fine.

12 Rotating beacon, the light and the reflection are 180 out of sync, when the light is off, the red reflection shows on the tail.

Please understand I'm not trying to pick apart the plane, just posting what I have found so far, your milage may vary :-) FYI, as advertized, it DOES work perfectly in 'shared cockpit'!! Thank you, but my FO might not like it cause he's about to get real busy :-)

Thanks again for a great plane, it's brought a lot of memories. OHHhhh, btw, any chance of getting some US liveries?

1. just click [a] four times and you see the panel

2. FSX messes up the switches (we we like to stay on standard here so additional hardware will work, but the external lights are just as they are on most twotters.

3. Nope, better get ready to manuall do some work!

4. http://stoenworks.com/Tutorials/HSI,%20the%20complete.html

Word reformatted that into an incorrect link

5. here is an issue in the aircraft.cfg file that caused this issue. we'll include this in the update of course, but if you like to have it now, replace the radio sections with this:

[RADIOS]

Audio.1 = 1

Com.1 = 1, 1

Com.2 = 1, 1

Nav.1 = 1, 1, 1

Nav.2 = 1, 1, 1

Adf.1 = 1

Adf.2 = 1

Transponder.1 = 1

Marker.1 = 1

6. oops... we were unsure to the last moment to add them (*invisible) or not, because without them and without a hardware dual throttle control the aircraft is hard to handle on the water.

7. a left over from the last tests we done, it should be removed and will be removed in the first update.

8. noted

9. new information for me and the checklists I got here do not do it that way, let me ask Viking Air and see what they advise these days.

10. strange one that. Are you on SP1, SP2? DX10 mode or not? Doesn't happen on our testers machines

11. I'll shoot a VOR today

12. strange, it's not a function we can control in any way, we can position the light, tell FSX what light it is and after that it's up to FSX and DirectX how to show it. Together with 10, it seems something local Doesn't happen on our testers machines.

And thanks for your detailed report!

[Finn 873]

10. Probably a FSX problem. I know that at least pre SP2, that there was a problem with FSX and tooltips. Before upgrading to SP2 I couldn´t use tooltips since theys simply made my screen go white.

Wothan

[IanP 0]

12 is something I've seen before and chuckled about on several models including the default C172SP. Not sure why it happens, but it's almost definately an FS thing and not specific to the Twotter... Which I don't have yet to say whether I see it on that or not!

Ian P.

[floodcolumbus 0]

10. I seem to remember having this problem prior to updating my video drivers...not sure if that cured it but it no longer happens.

Flood

[collezio 0]

1. just click [a] four times and you see the panel

But why not make a 2D panel ?

Virtual cockipt is beautiful but many user prefer 2D panel or pupop for all avionic instrument.

[Finn 873]

I think that I can say that a 2D panel for the twotter will NOT be made. The reason is that most gauges are "embedded" in the model file rather that beeing individual gauges as You know from FS9.

Making a 2D main panel and pop ups would require that all these instruments would be made from scratch for the 2D panel, wich I don´t think will happen.

In the Twotter it shouldn´t be nessesary. Remember to use the "A" key to toggle through various camera positions ie. captain, co-pilot, engine instruments, overhead etc.

In large airliners I prefer the 2D panels, but in smaller aircraft and helicopters I got used to the virtual cockpit.

Wothan

[Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558]

But why not make a 2D panel ?

Virtual cockipt is beautiful but many user prefer 2D panel or pupop for all avionic instrument.

A 2d panel would look the same as the view modes (probably worse as it is rather more limited in colors), would be less functional. would increase the files size and reduce frame-rate. From our point of view 2d panels simply have no advantages over view modes in FSX. We rather see the instruments in a more realistic setting, shaded by the model etc.

[collezio 0]

But it is impossible to read and use the autopilot (see the screen)

[Aerosoft Team [Inactive Account] 51558]

But it is impossible to read and use the autopilot (see the screen)

Okay, you don't pan the view you can't see it. Just as in a real aircraft you will have to move your head to see this. Cockpits are in real life not as wide as a 19' screen so not unrealistic. See attached how I use it. The second image show the same gauge in 2dmode, I know which one I find more realistic.

But you are right that in all views this gauge stays a bit hidden behind the controls, I'll look into it (perhaps add another view mode for that) . But there will most certainly not be 2d panels for the all gauges

[collezio 0]

Thank Math....

That showing you is the first view of the cockpit . Using the virtual cockpit simulator creates the "virtual head movement" and it is very difficult to set the parameters sight indicating you. Then we must zoom in, set parameter, and after zoom out.

In my opinion, as you say, you have to add a new vision (similar radio) for the autopilot.

[Marc W. 0]

Okay, you don't pan the view you can't see it.

I just fell off my chair ...

[PPS 0]

1. just click [a] four times and you see the panel

Yes I know that, but on a short final in heavy weather, the absolute LAST thing a pilot wants to do is lose his forward view. The overhead isnt that big a deal because it can be configured well before landing, although I think that if you are only going to have a 3D cockpit view, you should be able to see the entire cockpit.

The bigger issue is the AP. It is unreadable unless you zoom in, it is hidden behind the yoke if you are in the right seat, and again, you shouldn't be changing your view, 400ft from the ground, in heavy weather, when in App mode, just to disengage it. A 2D AP would solve this as it could be moved to a second monitor.

2. FSX messes up the switches (we we like to stay on standard here so additional hardware will work, but the external lights are just as they are on most twotters.

Marker beacon lights are not external lights, they are standard cockpit lights that illuminate when crossing the Outer Marker, Middle Marker, and Inner marker on precision approaches. Check the FSX 172 and most other default planes, you will see them.

3. Nope, better get ready to manuall do some work!

I am not sure about this response, a GS indicator is standard on HSI's, OBS, etc and is part of precision approaches. It is impossible to make a ILS approach in restricted visibility without this function. Why is it not included, since the rest of the plane is very accurate?

5. here is an issue in the aircraft.cfg file that caused this issue. we'll include this in the update of course, but if you like to have it now, replace the radio sections with this:

[RADIOS]

Audio.1 = 1

Com.1 = 1, 1

Com.2 = 1, 1

Nav.1 = 1, 1, 1

Nav.2 = 1, 1, 1

Adf.1 = 1

Adf.2 = 1

Transponder.1 = 1

Marker.1 = 1

Thanks for this, I will make the change

6. oops... we were unsure to the last moment to add them (*invisible) or not, because without them and without a hardware dual throttle control the aircraft is hard to handle on the water.

Rudders would be nice :-)

10. strange one that. Are you on SP1, SP2? DX10 mode or not? Doesn't happen on our testers machines

XP Pro SP2, FSX SP2, DX9c, 8800GTS card, 2 gigs RAM, 10,000 RPM drives, AMD dual core 2.8 proc

Thanks for your quick replies, I hope some of these issues can be resolved, as it is a great plane, you folks did an outstanding job.

I may come across as a bit critical but I'm not trying to be. Among other things, I'm a beta tester for some FSX addons, as well as manage an online game, so I tend to pick up on details, as I'm sure you do. I hope you take my input as helpfull.

[remilton 0]

Very nice looking plane, I can tell much effort has be put into this project.

One thing I would like to know, is there no trim gauge? I use a switch on my yoke to set trim, and anyway the mouse is very difficult to use for turning that trim wheel. Also, I mostly use DX10 mode and DX10 has no tool tips.

Thanks

Ron